UN’s Ban: Abnormal Weather Has Become Normal

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says abnormal weather — including violent storms, melting icecaps and drought — is now the new normal and threatens global security and the future.

Mr. Ban told a U.N. climate change meeting in Doha Tuesday that no one is immune to global warming, rich or poor. He called it a challenge for the entire human race, our way of life, and plans for the future.

Officials from close to 200 nations are meeting in Doha to consider extending the 1997 Kyoto Protocol reducing greenhouse gas emissions beyond its expiration at the end of the year. Mr. Ban wants to extend that agreement until a stronger deal can be negotiated and take effect in 2020.

The United States never ratified Kyoto, and other major economies, including Russia and Japan, have dropped out of the pact. They say it does not cover such growing economies and major polluters as China and India.

Many scientists blame global warming and the dangers it poses on pollution from factories and cars. Others say it is part of natural weather patterns.